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Chapter 7
Mixed messages – a showing of feelings diametrically opposed to each other causing people to think you have a personality disorder
My lips purse as I stare at the aisle of products encased in plastic. Doing groceries at this store in White Bridge does not have my preference considering its lack of environmental consciousness, but the only store in Winter Falls, Nature Coop, closes at 8 p.m.
I consult my watch. It’s 7:15. I do have enough time to drive to Nature Coop and buy the few items I need for dinner and breakfast tomorrow, but I’m planning to return to the office. Driving back and forth to Winter Falls would be a waste of energy no matter how efficient my mini electric car is.
There must be something I can buy to eat that isn’t unnecessarily wrapped in plastic. Maybe fruit. As I’m examining the strawberries and melons, a woman hollers my name. I turn around to discover Cassandra rushing toward me with her arms open wide.
“Lilac! Lilac!” She continues to shout even though I’m staring directly at her.
I place my basket in front of me before she can hug me. I saw Beckett’s eldest sister a few days ago. There’s no reason to greet me with a hug. I haven’t been away for months on a scientific mission to the Antarctic.
Her hands drop and she skids to a halt in front of me. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
My lips purse of their own accord. “I do not prefer to do my shopping here.”
She laughs. “I should have known. Beckett’s the same. He gets one of those farm delivery boxes every week, so he can avoid this ‘shrine to plastic’.”
He does? I didn’t realize Beckett had an environmental conscious. Despite being the CEO of an environmental engineering business, he isn’t an environmental engineer. The man was hired because of his business acumen, not his environmental knowledge.
Silence falls and I have no idea how to fill it, so I decide to extract myself from the situation. “I need to be going. I want to return to work.”
Cassandra moves to block me. “Nuh-uh. No way. You aren’t going back to work. You’re coming to dinner with me.”
“I have a project I need to finish.”
“It can wait until after you’ve eaten. Isn’t eating good for the brain or something?”
“It is true a drop of blood glucose levels does have an affect on concentration.”
She removes the basket from my hands and places it on the ground. “It’s settled then. You’re coming to dinner with me.”
I motion toward her empty hands. “Where are your groceries?”
“Oh, I didn’t come in here to buy anything. I saw your car parked in the lot and followed you inside.”
“I thought you said you didn’t expect to see me here, and how do you know what my car looks like anyway?”
She snorts. “Not many people drive a tiny electric car in this region.”
She is not incorrect. Entirely too many people in the region outside of Winter Falls enjoy driving in SUVs, although I’ve yet to puzzle out what sport they’re utilizing the vehicles for.
We exit the store, and I consider the row of restaurants. “Where shall we go?”
She threads her arm through mine. “Don’t be silly. There’s only one environmentally conscious restaurant in town you approve of, and you need a reservation. We’ll go to my house.”
“How do you know there’s only one restaurant in town I approve of?” Because she is correct. White Bridge only has one restaurant I eat at.
“Duh. Because Beckett will only eat at one restaurant.”
Another surprise about my boss. I don’t enjoy being surprised, despite this being a pleasant one. I prefer to have all the facts and figures at my disposal. How did I not realize Beckett is as environmentally conscious as I am? Are there other aspects of the man I’ve misunderstood?
I follow Cassandra to her house. When we arrive, I note there are several cars in the driveway. All are electric cars, although not the economical brand I drive.
Before I can exit my vehicle, she’s there opening it for me and hauling me out. “Come on. Dinner should be ready by now.”
“Ready by now? Don’t you need to cook it? And who do all these cars belong to?”
